We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Adina Marguerite Pease a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Adina Marguerite, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

I’ve spent ten years working on trying to make a career out of my creative work; original watercolor illustrations, a line of handmade accessories featuring my own textile designs, and block prints both on paper and apparel. I had one year, 2021, where my income finally hit five figures and I thought; ‘this is it – I CAN do this!’

However, instead of seeing growth I saw a decline in sales for the following two years despite doing more in person markets and events. So in 2024, I took a bit of breather and only did one event combined with online sales and some teaching, not expecting anything significant.

This year, I reevaluated how I wanted to treat my creative work and career, such as it is/was and I decided practice the art of letting go. I sold my outdoor market tent to a fellow creator and decided, at least in this season of my life, the market life is just not for me. To say it’s been freeing is an understatement. As the primary parent of a small kid with a spouse whose company I enjoy – its been a fabulous decision for my family. It’s also brought a boost of creativity to my creative practice; I’ve found new inspiration that I don’t think I would have found if I was buried in my studio working on building stock for markets.

Now, I’m very fortunate in a way that my creative career never got to a place where I gave up my incredibly flexible day job. I’m also privileged to have a partner who has full time work – so we experienced only a small drop in our income. While it was scary to physically let go of that tent and the outdoor market opportunities it was used for, it’s only improved my personal and creative life. And who knows what the future will hold – now I’m simply open to possibilities.

Adina Marguerite, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My creative career journey began back in 2014 with a line of handmade goods featuring my own surface pattern designs on the fabric. I sold my first pieces at my yard sale! At the time I was working in a wildly different field where creativity was limited to our “brand guidelines” and was itching for the ability to bring ideas from my head into a reality. My handmade goods line allowed me to explore all different aspects of running a creative business from all the behind the scenes marketing and accounting, to market sales, to brand collaborations, and more. As my other creative work evolved and I gained new skills, I learned that I did not in fact enjoy bulk sewing as a way of earning money – so I retired the line a couple of years ago. Zero regrets!

I call myself an artist AND a maker because the creative process which brings me the most joy is when I can translate the same inspiration into multiple media. For example; five years ago I made a watercolor sketch featuring nine imaginary ceramic mugs that just appeared in my imagination. Two years ago, I began studying ceramics for the first time and this year, I’ve built up my skills to the point where I was able to translate those watercolor sketches into actual functional mugs!

Something I’ve incredibly proud of that showcased the breadth of how my creative process manifests itself was my very first solo show; ‘artist/maker/indigo’ held at the Gallery at Citiot in Catskill, NY in 2023. The full exhibition is available to see in an portfolio page on my website here; https://www.adinamarguerite.com/artistmakerindigo.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I’ve spent the last eight years immersed in the world of small businesses and they are both the backbone of our communities and really struggling at this time. I can’t even begin to count both the number of artists/creatives/makers as well as brick and mortar businesses whom I’m familiar with that have closed up shop and gone to work for someone else due to economic reasons. It’s such a shame that we’ve devalued the work of creatives through education with a focus on ‘STEM’ education instead of ‘STEAM’ and through the rise of artificial intelligence.

I believe one of the best things we can do to support artists/creatives/makers through this challenging time is to value them through every avenue we can. Yes, that includes buying directly from them, supporting their projects as patrons, and buying from a small businesses which sell their work. However it also includes supporting them as part of our values system; that looks like not supporting big businesses who steal copyrighted work from small artists, instead of using AI to create a logo or have design work done paying a human creative to do so, and verbally valuing artists/creatives/makers and shopping small within your family, friends, and larger community. Acknowledging the importance of artists and creatives directly within your communities is one of the best ways to make an impact which will ripple and grow.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I’m a person who, and I have no idea if this is normal, can see the final version of a creative project in my head but can’t necessarily find a way to get it out of my head!

In a way this is how my creative journey started and why the range of media I work in is so broad. At first I learned to paint, design repeating patterns, and sew – overtime that skill set has grown to include block printing, weaving, textile dyeing, and most recently ceramics. Over the years learning new skills like this has been such a refreshing way to find not only find fulfillment as a creative but also to connect with a wide variety of creatives, growing my community, and building some wonderful friendships with people all over the world. Those human connections are invaluable and save my life on a daily basis.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.adinamarguerite.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adinamarguerite
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adinamargueritecreative
• Other: https://bsky.app/profile/adinamarguerite.com